Taking Sides
by Aspie007
Summary: The Founder questions Jedikiah's loyalty to Ultra and discovers a secret bigger than anyone could've imagined. Written by doctor-jedikiah-price . tumblr . com and jedikiahs-morgan . tumblr . com
1. Secrets

The Founder looks intently at Jedikiah, who is trying to appear calm sitting behind his desk. Without speaking, he begins digging through Jedikiah's thoughts and memories. For him, it is just business as usual. Jedikiah takes a deep breath in and then lets it out, staying perfectly calm. He would not think of Morgan. He would block that part of his mind out, as well as everything that happened between him and the tomorrow people in the past week. His eyes meet the founder's, and he notes the suspicion in them. He doesn't look away, however. If he does, the founder wins. And he couldn't let him win. He made a promise.

A few minutes of tense silence pass and the founder breaks his hold on Jedikiah's mind. He mentally curses himself for not finding anything incriminating. He knows Jedikiah is hiding something but as hard as he tries, he is unable to prove it. Straightening his suit coat, the founder nods curtly at Jedikiah and walks out of the office. Jedikiah lets out the breath he was holding since he locked eyes with his boss and then closing his laptop sitting in front of him. Underneath it, sits the picture of him and Morgan. He takes it out and stares at it for a moment before closing it up in one of his drawers. Then, grabbing his jacket, he leaves his office. He needs to get out of this place. He walks towards the door and passes the founder along the way who slips into his office once he is out of sight.

The December air is deliciously cool to Jedikiah and his overheating body. He gets into his car and drives straight for his home without making any stops. Tonight, delivery is the safest option.

The founder watches Jedikiah leave Ultra and immediately heads back into his office. As much as he hates it, he has to search for evidence the old fashioned way. Having a telepath for a brother has given Jedikiah plenty of practice in keeping his mind safe and not even the founder can bypass Jedikiah's mental defenses. He tries the top drawer of Jedikiah's desk and finds it locked. Testing the others, he realizes that it is only that one drawer that has been locked. Looking toward the door and hearing no one approaching, he pulls a lock pick out of his pocket. He wiggles it around for a few seconds until he hears a satisfying click. He opens the drawer quickly and takes everything out. Then he lays the entire contents of the drawer on the desk to examine it all closely. The founder's eyes light up when he sees something amid the pile of papers and he pockets it before shoving the rest back in the drawer and leaving.

Jedikiah gets out of his car and walks into his home, closing the door behind him. The familiar decor of his home is a wonderful thing after long days at work. Although, he can still remember the days he didn't want to get get home so quickly. Those were the days before he let John run out of Ultra. He lets out a sigh and drops his holster on the table before calling out, "Morgan? You home?"

"She's not here." A gravelly voice behind him says. Jedikiah turns around and sees John. "But I have a few questions for you. Why did you help me escape?"

Jedikiah looks at John, a tad of relief that it was only him visiting. "You shouldn't be here, son... not with the founder on me like this." He pauses and undoes his tie. "So, where is she then?" The older man is making his way around John's question on purpose. He does not want to think about it, or have to talk about it. It started a mess, a swamp. And how he had to try and crawl out of it for the sake of his girlfriend, and all of the tomorrow people he is now alleged with.

"I took precautions," John sneers, "Disabled two agents and all of the D-chips. I can leave whenever if I need to." John teleports across the room as if to prove his point. "Your girlfriend is safe. We've got her." He adds, walking back towards Jedikiah until he is less than a foot away from him.

Jedikiah takes a breath to protest, but he knows he can trust John and what he says. "I'd like to see her, if you don't mind," He says when John steps closer to him. "Then we can discuss what happened at Ultra."

"Fine." John reluctantly agrees and grabs Jedikiah's hand to allow him into his mind. _Morgan is in the same room he had been held captive in by the tomorrow people. She is not tied up this time but she is wearing a suppression cuff to keep her from teleporting out._ John releases Jedikiah's hand before he sees anything else and crosses his arms, "So what happened back at Ultra?"

Jedikiah smiles a bit, knowing she's safe. Although, she doesn't need the cuff. She knows she's there for safety, and she was okay with that. He was about to say something, but John cuts him off quickly and asks about Ultra. Jedikiah sighs and sits down, gesturing for John to sit down next to him if he'd like. "I let you go on purpose, John. Before this whole alliance formed, your people kidnapped Morgan after my agents kidnapped you. So, there was a deal. We let each other's loved ones go. There's nothing more to it." Jedikiah takes a pause and runs his hands through his hair. "It seemed all well and good back then, but, in case you haven't noticed, it's created quite the mess."

John sits down awkwardly on a chair opposite Jedikiah. "This mess, you mean the Founder? I escaped on your watch and he knows it." For a short moment, John actually feels sorry for Jedikiah. He knows what the Founder is like when he wants information.

"Exactly, that's the problem! Well, one of them... I lied to him about letting you go. The secret I shared with him to get you off the hook was Morgan. That's why she's down there with you. To keep her safe from him. And now... he's suspicious of our alliance. He knows I'm not one hundred percent loyal to Ultra." Jedikiah pauses again to rub his face. He realizes how weak he must look in front of John, and he hates it. Why the hell did his people have to take Morgan? This is what started all of this. His stupid group. After a long silence, Jedikiah looks up again. "Is there anything else you need to know, or can you send Morgan up so we can stay together tonight?" He doesn't feel like talking anymore.

"You know it's safer for her to stay underground." John says, standing up. "I can take you to her, but you can't spend the night. It's possible the founder is tracking you any time you're not at Ultra and he'll know where to look if you aren't here." John reaches a hand out to Jedikiah, "I'll have you back before the founder even knows you're gone." Jedikiah sighs and agrees, taking John's hand. The former agent is right, but that isn't making the spot in his bed where she used to sleep any less empty. "Let's go, then."


	2. Unexpected Visitors

Psychically warning Stephen to clear out if he's there, John teleports them to the tomorrow people's hideout. He doesn't want Jedikiah to know the extent of their infiltration of Ultra until he knows for certain that Jedikiah won't turn on them.

Jedikiah is a little wobbly on his feet at first from the landing, but he straightens and thanks John with a nod. He then turns and looks around at the familiar place, his eyes stopping on where he was held hostage; where Morgan sat talking to Cara. Jedikiah walks over after their conversation if over and takes a seat next to her. With a smile, he says, "Hey, Morgan." and takes her hand.

Cara gets up and walks toward John, linking her fingers with his. "Let's leave them alone for a while." She looks at John meaningfully and leads him out of the room. John nods and leads Cara into one of the other rooms, closing the door behind him. Neither Jedikiah nor Morgan look up, to busy talking. "I hope they've been treating you well down here... how I wish you could be up there with me," Jedikiah says with a sigh, running the pad of his thumb over Morgan's hand, soothingly. Morgan takes both of Jedikiah's hands in hers and leans in close to him. "You talk too much." She grins before gently pressing her lips against his. Jedikiah starts to say something, but is cut off by the feel of Morgan's warm lips against his. He returns the kiss, and pulls her closer. "I'm sorry... I just care about you is all."

"Jesus!" Russell shouts after teleporting into the room where Jedikiah and Morgan are. They break apart and look away from each other awkwardly "What are you doing here?" He angrily questions Jedikiah. Hearing Russell's outburst, John and Cara come running back into the room. Jedikiah stands up, still holding Morgan's hand in an act of protection. "John brought me down here to see my girlfriend. In case you've forgotten, we're no longer enemies. So if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to spend the rest of my little time down here with her, not arguing with... you." the last part of Jedikiah's sentence comes out in a disgusted tone. Russell deserves it, though. He's one of the reasons she's stuck down here in the first place. Russell glares at Jedikiah before turning on John. "You let him down here? He's the reason you got captured and you're letting him in here like he's one of us!" Russell storms out of the room, shoving John out of the way. Cara breaks the silence after she feels Russell leave. "Sorry, we'll leave you two alone now." John reminds Jedikiah of their time limit before he and Cara also leave the room.

The room becomes less occupied, now only Jedikiah and Morgan remaining. Jedikiah looks down like an outcast kicked out of his home. "I knew this would be a bad idea... I'm so sorry, Morgan. For everything."

Meanwhile, Russell paces furiously in TIM's computer room. John enters and stands by the door. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that Jedikiah was coming. I didn't think it was that big of a deal-" Russell interrupts John, "Not that big of a deal? Are you hearing yourself right now?" Stepping forward, John puts his hand up to stop Russell. "I know what he did but that is his girlfriend in there and she needed him, even if only for a short while. I will get him out before Ultra tracks him." "Whatever." Russell mutters and teleports to a nearby bar for a few drinks. "_Don't do anything reckless_." John mentally tells him. Russell mutters something about doing what he wants in return, and then falls silent to enjoy his evening.

In the other room, Morgan caresses Jedikiah's face and has him look at her, "It's not your fault, Jed. I knew the risks when I asked John to bring you here."

"I know, but I'm upsetting people. What if Russell bothers you know because of me? What if he won't protect you anymore?" Jedikiah leans into Morgan's touch with a heavy sigh. She keeps assuring him that everything will be okay, and he eventually believes her. When John comes to inform Jedikiah that his time is up, they are both asleep, Morgan curled up in his lap. His head is resting against hers, and they are still holding each other's hand. You would never be able to guess that Jed was an Ultra agent when he was like this. Even Cara stopped and stared when she passed by.

John stands in the doorway awkwardly, not wanting to interrupt but knowing he has no choice. Finally, he clears his throat and calls Jedikiah's name. When Jedikiah doesn't stir, John repeats his name louder and even walks over to him to shake him awake. Jedikiah stands up quickly while Morgan rubs the sleep out of her eyes. He leans down to kiss her goodbye then nods at John who takes his arm and teleports him back to his apartment.

Jedikiah thanks John for everything, and after a moment of silence asks John to deliver his apology to Russell. John agrees and then teleports back to the hide out, leaving Jedikiah by himself. The ultra agent walks into the complex and down the hallway to where his room is, to find the door open ajar. He swallows nervously and remembers his holster with his weapon in the room. Who the hell could be in there that late? Slowly, he leans over and peers into the room, trying to see if he could find out.

Russell stumbles to the door and knocks over a lamp before standing directly in front of Jedikiah. He finishes off the rest of the beer in the bottle he had been holding then throws it aside. Acting tough, he shoves Jedikiah backwards. "You're not one of us." He slurs, continuing to push Jedikiah up against the wall. Russell forcefully presses his arm to Jedikiah's throat, cutting off his air supply while Jedikiah struggles to free himself. Even drunk, a tomorrow person is still stronger than a normal human.

Jedikiah struggles to breathe as he stares down at Russell, his eyes wide. "I'm not trying to be one of you," he coughs out. "I'm just trying to protect my girlfriend... who is one of you." Jed knows that Russell can't kill him, but he feels his body and mind threatening to slip into a state of unconsciousness. "Please, Russell... we're supposed to be on the same side." When Russell doesn't budge, Jedikiah is forced to send his knee up in between his legs.

Russell grunts and his arm drops from Jedikiah's throat as he doubles over in pain. "You... bastard." He gasps before teleporting out. But instead of going to the hide out, he chooses to go to a different bar - this time to drink away the physical pain from Jedikiah's cheap shot rather than the emotional pain of John not trusting him.

Jedikiah let's himself slide down to the floor, taking big breaths. His hands reach and rub his neck, his soft fingers offering some comfort to the already bruising skin. After he has his breath, he gets up and strips down before he drops down onto his bed. It was a long day, and it was going to be the same tomorrow. All Jed really wants to do is sleep. Before drifting off, he makes a mental note to talk to John about tomorrow about Morgan and Russell. Then, he is out like a light, sleeping all the way through the night until his alarm wakes him from his slumber the next morning.


	3. Truth and Lies

The next morning at Ultra, the founder waits in Jedikiah's office for him to arrive. He is sitting in Jedikiah's desk chair and folded up carefully in his left hand is the paper he took from Jedikiah's locked drawer.

Jedikiah slowly gets himself the next morning, wearing a higher collar to hide the bruises that little- Russell gave him the night before. He gets himself a cup of coffee then walks into his office. When he turns and sees the founder sitting at his chair, his heart skips a beat. "Good morning, sir," he says, putting his stuff down. "What brings you here?"

The founder unfolds the piece of paper and spreads it flat on the desk. "Explain." When Jedikiah sees the piece of paper, he recognizes a picture of him and Morgan, as well as the address John gave to him in case he needed to get underground quickly. It takes him a second to find his voice, but once he does, he says, "That's simply a picture of me with my ex-girlfriend, and her address. She meant something to me, sir. And even if we can't be together, that doesn't mean I don't want to keep her around somehow." He says all of this, looking right into the founder's eyes. His voice shakes a little by the end of it, suddenly remembering how he had to stage shoot Morgan, but he turns it into a cough. "Must be getting sick," he says, giving his neck a rub.

"That's not all." The founder says coldly. He opens a sealed file Jedikiah's computer. The video of Stephen pretending to take Cara's powers displays on the screen. "I know that your relations with the tomorrow people go further than your dead girlfriend. You let your nephew free that girl with her powers intact then you tried to hide the evidence. The fact of the matter is I can no longer trust your loyalty to this organization, seeing as you allow your emotions to dictate your actions rather than what is best for us and the rest of humanity."

Jedikiah's heart skips another beat, but he stays calm, and strictly professional. "Your seeing what I saw the first time, sir. But I can guarantee that Cara's powers are gone. Stephen did freeze time, because he was scared, anxious, and did not know how to fully control his powers yet. But the deed was still done. When I was kidnapped, I saw her. She was weak, pathetic. She cowered in my shadow. You have no reason to question my loyalty to this organization, sir. I feel the same way as you do about our race and theirs. When you have some real evidence against me, I'd like to see it." Jedikiah stops and lets out his breath and goes around his office, avoiding the founder, like it was a normal day of work. Even if he knew about the alliance and that he was lying, what was he going to do about it?

The founder raises his arm and telekinetically forces Jedikiah to sit in the chair on the other side of the desk. "Don't insult my intelligence." He says sharply. "I saw him switch out the serum with saline and I know you did too." The founder mentally pins Jedikiah to the chair. "Unfortunately, you've left me no other choice." He adds and begins digging through his mind much more thoroughly than before. When he doesn't see anything useful, he clenches his hand, hurting Jedikiah similarly to how he hurt John, although not nearly as badly. Jedikiah groans and arches his back in a feeble attempt to relieve the pain. "Show me." The founder orders and loosens his mental grip to allow Jedikiah to think clearly.

When Jedikiah is pinned into the chair, he knows there is no sense in lying anymore. He cries out in pain from the founder's actions, but hisses in reply, "Even if I did know anything, which I don't, I wouldn't tell you."

"You will." The founder clenches his hand again, increasing the amount of pain. "I should tell you, I don't want to kill you but by the end of this you may be begging me to."

Jedikiah lets out another cry of pain, and in that moment, his grip on his mind loosens. The founder now sees him and Morgan laughing and smiling down in the hideout, as the other tomorrow people do their own thing around them. He also sees Jedikiah asking Stephen for help getting John out of Ultra, and telling him that it was okay that he let Cara go. Jedikiah sees the founder tense, and tries to hide his thoughts once more, but the pain is too much and his head remains open for the founder's search.

Satisfied, the founder releases his hold on Jedikiah's mind. "You never were as strong an agent as your brother. It's a shame he died instead of you." He says maliciously as he leaves Jedikiah alone.

Jedikiah slumps in his chair and breathes heavily. Once the door slams behind his boss, he waits a minute before grabbing the paper and fleeing the office, heading in the direction of the address on the back.


	4. Nowhere to Run

Jedikiah doesn't even bother with getting his car. He darts through back alleys and past abandoned warehouses until he sees the address he's looking for. Double-checking the paper, he makes sure he's at the right spot before entering. He holds his hands up to show he's not armed in case there are any hostile tomorrow people inside. When he doesn't see or hear anyone, he hesitantly calls out, "John?"

The founder swiftly follows Jedikiah and stays a safe distance away so he won't be seen. After he sees the entrance to the hideout, he retreats back to the agency to grab some more agents. Down in the hideout, John and Cara come out of the other room, confused when they see the Ultra agent. He never just drops in, and he looks like he's been running. John steps in front of Cara and approached Jedikiah. "What? What happened?"

Desperately trying to catch his breath from his race through the city, Jedikiah holds up a hand, gesturing for them to give him a moment. "The founder- he knows." He gasps painfully. John leads him to a worn out couch and has him sit down. "What do you mean? What does the founder know?" He questions Jedikiah, trying not to sound panicked. Cara's eyes widen and she follows the men, sitting down on the floor in front of the couch. They spend the next few minuets bickering and trying to make a plan, only to come up with nothing. If anything was for certain, they had to get the hell out of there. But how with so many tomorrow people and so little time? The founder would be crashing in any second. From the other room, Morgan came in, smiling when she saw Jedikiah. "I was wondering where everyone went... what's up?"

Jedikiah looks up at Morgan and tries to smile but his eyes reveal his misery and hopelessness. Morgan slides next to him on the couch and gives him a gentle hug, "You can tell me." She reassures him. "Maybe I can help."

Cara and John leave to go warn the other tomorrow people, giving Jedikiah and Morgan a second alone so Jed could explain everything to her. John also sends a telepathic message to Stephen to try and stall the founder. Morgan curls up in Jedikiah's lap and looks up at him lovingly. "You know you can tell me anything, babe. What is it? It's new year's, we should be celebrating. So why don't we see if there's a free bedroom down here so I can try to lift your spirits?"

Jedikiah holds Morgan tightly while trying to figure how best to break the news to her. After a couple minutes of silence, he begins to speak, "I went to work this morning like usual but the founder he, uh, must have gone through my desk after I left yesterday and he found a picture of us with this address written on the back. He was waiting for me in my office and I tried to cover it up but he interrogated me then tortured me when I wouldn't let him inside my head." At this point, tears are rolling down Jed's face, "It hurt so badly and... I let him in. He saw you alive, us talking in the hideout, my part in John's escape, everything." Using one hand to wipe the tears away, he continues in a shaky voice, "All of you will be captured or killed and it will be because of me." The tears now came faster than he could wipe them away. "I'm so sorry."

Morgan's eyes were wide with disbelief. Not in an angry way, but confused on how it all happened when just yesterday everything seemed okay. She reaches up and wiped Jedikiah's tears away with her finger and presses a gentle kiss to his lips. "Oh, Jed... don't cry... it'll be okay. Let me just get my jacket, and I'll teleport us out of here, and far, far away. Just because he knows, doesn't mean we have to let him split us apart or hurt anyone else here. We're all going to get away, I promise."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," A deep voice says from behind them. The founder walks into the room, pointing a gun at the two lovers. "Into the room with the others. Now. When he sees Jedikiah holding Morgan, his face shows disappointment. What has his best agent become?

Still holding Morgan tightly, Jedikiah stands up and walks toward where the founder is gesturing. Before he reaches the door, however, he whispers something to Morgan who then walks alone into the room where the others are. As soon as she is in, Jedikiah turns swiftly and knocks the gun out of the founder's hand. Several Ultra agents charge him and beat him viciously. "I want him alive." The founder orders them. Jedikiah feels a pang of guilt at hearing the words he used just a couple days ago for John. In response to the order, the agents force Jedikiah onto his knees in front of the founder. Jedikiah looks up at the man, his face bloody and bruised. "I will die for them." He says stubbornly.

"Jed, no!" Morgan cries from the other room. She knows she can't take on both of the Ultra agents holding him on her own, so she instead grabs the gun that went flying from the founder's hand and cocked it, pointing it at the man. "Let him go! Or else I'll use this!" Everyone else in the room is silent, the tomorrow people too scared to speak, and the agents waiting for whatever order they may receive. Morgan's eyes stay locked on the founder's, unable to look at Jed, knowing his injuries are partly her fault.

The founder smirks at her. "You can't kill." Standing her ground, Morgan retorts, "Maybe not, but I can injure." She lowers the gun as she pulls the trigger and shoots the founder in his right leg. He collapses onto the ground, clutching the bleeding hole in his thigh. By now the other agents have their guns out, ready to fire and aimed at Morgan while Jedikiah watches helplessly, still restrained by two of the agents.

Morgan turns to the agents and fires at their leg and shoulder, causing them and Jedikiah to fall to the floor. Then, she pulls him away and advises everyone to run. The tomorrow people start teleporting out, many of them clinging together in fear. She helps Jedikiah up to his feet and places a sweet and gentle kiss to his lips. "You need to get out of here. Now. I'll meet you by my old safe house where we had that picture taken after I'm done with these buffoons." Jed was quick to protest, but Morgan reminded him off his injuries, and how she just shot three Ultra agents. After making her promise he'd see her again, Jed hurried over to John and teleported out with him. Now, only she, the founder, and a few agents remained. Pointing the gun at the two uninjured agents that were left, she warned, "Don't come any closer or I'll do to you what I did to them." She then looked down at the founder who was writhing in pain. "You are not hurting any of us. Or my boyfriend. Do you understand?"

Ordering his men to stand down and let Morgan go, the founder indicates that she won this round. "Your kind are nothing but parasites." He hisses menacingly. "This isn't over."

"Oh, but seeing as you're the one bleeding on the ground, we're still so much better than you," she hisses in return. She wants so badly to kill the man right then and there, but she knows she cannot. Instead, she turns to the standing agents and shoots them both down. "Oh, its over. And you've lost." Then, she's gone, reappearing by the safe house where Jedikiah and a group of frightened tomorrow people stand. She immediately throws her arms around her boyfriend and whispered soft apologies before explaining what happened after everyone left. The rest of the tomorrow people surround them closely, also wanting to hear the story.

At the warehouse, the founder pulls his phone out of his pocket and angrily calls for back up. An hour later, he and the agents are back at Ultra with their wounds tended to while the uninjured agents are waiting for orders. Using a crutch, the founder walks slowly to Jedikiah's office to look for clues as to where he and the tomorrow people might have gone. Just before he reaches the door, Stephen comes up behind him, "Sir, I heard what happened. I had no idea about my uncle and Morgan. I just thought he was tracking her." He lies easily. Stopping in front of the office door, the founder turns and looks suspiciously at the youngest Ultra agent.

Stephen looks up at the founder, his eyes a bit scared. Not because of what he was hiding, well that too, but more importantly that he was probably seconds away from being put on the kill squad to take out his uncle. "W-What are you going to do when you find them?" He asks, nervous about the answer he might receive. He has a feeling he already knows, but if the founder tells him, he could ask for no part in it. He would understand, right? Right? In his head, Cara was calling desperately for Stephen to get out of there to come and help them. Of course he blocks this from the founder, and tells her he'd be there as soon as he could.

"Given your track record with partners in the field, you will stay here." The founder says and Stephen inwardly sighs with relief. "I want you tracking them. You do not stop until you know exactly where they are. Then you tell me immediately." Stephen nods at the founder's instructions then heads toward the Brain Trust room supposedly to "plug in". But as soon as he's out of the founder's sight, he teleports to the address Cara told him in his head.

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